Wooden drawer runner

Overview

A wooden runner is a strip of hardwood in the carcass on which the drawer slides. Wikipedia's drawer entry lists wooden slides as the simplest type: the drawer rests directly on the cabinet. In period furniture the runners are part of the case, usually tenoned or sliding-dovetailed into the carcass sides, with a kicker above that stops the drawer tipping when pulled. No hardware is bought, which makes it the no-metal alternative to the slides above.

Types and sizes

• Side runner: a strip in the case side with a groove in the drawer side; the drawer runs on the rail.
• Bottom runner (drawer rails): the drawer's bottom edges run on the rails under it, with a dust frame between.
• Centre runner: one runner under the middle of the drawer bottom, common in cheaper cabinets.
• Section about 12 to 19 mm (1/2 to 3/4 in) thick, 25 to 50 mm (1 to 2 in) wide, in hard maple or beech.
• A kicker (strip above the drawer side) and a stop block at the back complete the set.

Where it is used

Shaker casework ran drawers on waxed hardwood runners; Queen Anne and Chippendale case furniture used runners and dust boards between drawers; Jacobean boxes ran on side runners; Craftsman cabinets used wood-on-wood drawers. Each was the standard before metal slides existed.

Choosing and sizing

Make the runner the full depth of the case and as wide as the drawer side overhang allows. Use a hard, close-grained wood (Hard maple, Black cherry) in the runner, even if the case is softwood. A drawer wider than about 600 mm (24 in) needs a centre runner to avoid racking.

Installation

1. Cut the runner to length and mark its position from the drawer-front opening.
2. Fix it with a sliding dovetail or glued stub tenon into the carcass side; screws should be slotted if the case side is solid.
3. Plane the runner and drawer bottom edge flat and parallel; check with a straightedge.
4. Set the drawer with a clearance of about 1 mm (1/32 in) on each side, and a small gap above.
5. Wax the contact surfaces with Paste wax.
6. Add a back stop so the drawer stops flush at the front.

Wood movement and species

Drawer fronts and case sides are solid wood that moves across the grain, so the side-to-side clearance changes seasonally: a drawer that fits in winter can stick in summer. Leave 1.5 mm (1/16 in) per side in a wide solid-wood drawer, and size the runner so the drawer can float. Runners run with the grain, so they move little along their length. Wax regularly; Beeswax and carnauba keeps it slick.

Common mistakes

• Drawer sticks in summer: no allowance for swell. Plane the drawer sides, then wax.
• Runner glued across a solid case side: it restrains the side's movement and cracks it. Use a sliding dovetail.
• Soft wood for a runner: it wears and tilts the drawer.
• No kicker: the drawer tips when pulled out.

Related

• Side-mount ball-bearing slide and Undermount soft-close slide: metal alternatives.
• Knob and Cup pull (bin pull): the pulls that go with it.
• Paste wax: the lubricant.